Freed Israeli hostages speak about their experiences in Gaza: 'I thought I was going to die'

No sunlight, surgery without any anesthetic, paralysing fear, and great appreciation for the efforts to get them home are some of the key experiences relayed by the former hostages.

“We were scared to death at the transfer point,” one of the three women reported to Channel 12 news, “from the combination of the armed terrorists and the Gazan crowd.”

On the day of their release, Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 seemed like they might be lynched by the mob surrounding the vehicles as they were transferred over to Red Cross custody and vehicles from the masked militants amid shouts of “Allah hu akbar.” They had been told they were going home just hours before.

Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova party close to Kibbutz Re’im while Damari and Steinbrecher were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023, during the worst terror attack in Israel’s history. They were three among 251 who were taken to Gaza and held hostage, while some 1,200 others were slaughtered. 

Damari and Gonen were both shot during the attack, with Damari losing two fingers as a result. The women shared they were given the medicines they required "sometimes," but one had undergone a medical procedure without any anesthetic. Other former hostages have also spoken about being operated upon without pain relief.

“I didn’t think I would come back. I thought I’d die in Gaza,” one of the hostages was quoted by Channel 12 as saying on Monday. Although they were not held alone, some said that they hardly saw the light of day over the past 471 they have spent in captivity. They were kept mostly underground being moved from place to place, often in humanitarian zones and shelters.

The hostages told Israeli media they had been able to see some news and heard radio reports about the protests calling the government to make a deal with Hamas and bring them home. “We saw your struggle,” they have been quoted as saying. “We heard our families fighting for us.”

The families of the women expressed thanks to all who played a part in their return, including the government, the army, the negotiators and the protesters, God, U.S. President Donald Trump, former U.S. president Joe Biden, their communities, and the Israeli people as a whole.

The sister of Doron Steinbrecher, Yamit Ashkenazi, said, “Doron is smiling, she is here, and we are starting to deal with her recuperation. She is okay. She is strong and brave.” She passed on a message from Steinbrecher, encouraging Israelis to continue fighting for the rest of the hostages: “Go out into the streets. We have to complete all stages of the deal.”

Meanwhile, Tom Damari, the brother of Emily, thanked those who have been fighting in Gaza, as well as those who fell in battle “so that we could hug Emily again.”

Emily’s mother, Mandy Damari, said Emily is “an amazing, strong, and resilient young woman,” but has said, "As wonderful as it is to see Emily’s resilience, these are still early days. As you will have seen yesterday, Emily lost two of the fingers on her left hand," according to a statement released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. "She now needs time with her loved ones and her doctors as she begins her road to recovery," she added. 

Lastly, Meirav Leshem Gonen gave her message of thanks, adding, “We are the Israeli nation, a special nation that wants peace.” She continued, “There are 94 more of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, we are brave and courageous and we will get them back. Let us hold hands and win.”

Gonen, Damari, and Steinbrecher are the first of the 33 captives set to be freed over the 42-day ceasefire in exchange for a potential 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

According to ILTV, a Hamas official has announced the next four female hostages will be released on Saturday. The seven women still in captivity are Arbel Yehud, 29; Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33; Liri Albag, 19; Karina Ariev, 20; Agam Berger, 21; Danielle Gilboa, 20 and Naama Levy, 20.

It is not yet known who, out of the remaining women, will be coming home or in what condition they will return.